As a result of the relatively recent advent of cellular telephone systems, users are now able to take a telephone with them for communication to or from almost any location. Briefly stated, these systems consist of a plurality of sites, referred to as cell sites, at which transmitting antennas, receiving antennas and attendant electronics are located. Telephone signals are transmitted through free space transmission between cellular telephones, such as mobile phones and portable phones, and these cell sites. Since the signals travel on a line of sight between the user's cellular telephone and the transmitting and receiving antennas, the antennas are typically mounted at relatively high elevations to minimize any interference. Cables and sophisticated switching systems link the cell sites together so that the signals can be transferred from one cell site to another cell site depending upon the movement of the user.
In the infancy of the cellular communications industry, cellular systems were installed in urban areas and needed only a minimum number of cell sites in order to cover these areas and accommodate the relatively low volume of calls they were handling. Because of their urban locations, these cell sites often consisted of the inconspicuous placement of transmitting and receiving antennas on existing tall structures, such as buildings and water towers. Where such structures were not available, separate towers were built to support the antennas at a high elevation. Since these towers had to have superior strength to withstand enormous wind shear forces and environmental exposure, they were and still are typically built from an unsightly latticework of steel, and are most often the tallest, most prominent structures in the area. Fortunately, the placement of these towers in heavily industrialized areas had only minimal impact on the aesthetics of the area and therefore their approval and construction met with little resistance.
The proliferation of cellular communications has now created the need for an expanded area of coverage and for a denser array of cell sites to handle the ever increasing volume of use. Since many of the readily available sites have already been taken, the search for new cell sites has become increasingly difficult. To a large extent, the reason for this has been the need to place these newer cell sites in undeveloped areas and in largely residential suburban locations, neither of which typically has tall buildings or other such structures on which transmitting and receiving antennas can be mounted. Even when such structures are available, cellular companies are most often faced with enormous burdens in attempting to obtain approval to mount the antennas on these structures from reluctant local zoning boards. Where tall structures are not already available, local residents, zoning boards and environmental groups are almost always steadfastly opposed to the construction of tall antenna support towers because of the negative impact these unsightly towers would have on the aesthetics of the undeveloped areas and the aesthetics of their residential communities.
Cellular companies are therefore faced with a dilemma. They must create additional cell sites in order to accommodate the increasing demand for cellular communications, yet the enormous cost, in terms of both money and time, to gain approval for new antenna installations has impeded their ability to provide this expanded coverage.
There therefore exists a need for a way in which the transmitting and receiving antennas of cellular communications systems can be installed inconspicuously at high elevations so as to not raise objections from the governing bodies and residents of local communities or from environmental groups. More particularly, there exists a need for an antenna support tower which is strong and durable, yet which is aesthetically pleasing so as to create a cell site which will not detract from the appearance of the area in which it is installed. Preferably, such antenna support tower will blend inconspicuously into the environment in which it is constructed.